Writing on website Editor & Publisher, author Ralph Keyes argues that too many journalists risk "alienating" foreign and younger readers in what he dubs the overuse of "retrotalk," which he defines as "employing terminology rooted in our past that may not be familiar" to certain audience groups.

Keyes refers to various US-specific examples, although I particularly liked the one about New York Times columnist, Frank Rich, who once referred to George W. Bush as having "a slight, almost Chauncey Gardiner quality" alluding to Peter Sellers' dim-witted character in the 1979 movie "Being There."

However, the idea that cultural references may be lost on younger generations is unfair, for Keyes is implying that readers (whatever their ages or origins) are unwilling to do the necessary groundwork to figure things out for themselves.

As Steve Johnson, pop culture critic for the Chicago Tribune, points out: "Retrotalk is a culture passing itself on." And we're inclined to agree. After all, if an article is engaging enough, readers will look up any references they're unsure of. As Johnson says: "The worthwhile stuff will be looked up, understood, assimilated, perpetuated." Hell yeah.

Besides, what with the world wide web of knowledge available at the click of a mouse, today's youngsters have it easier than their ancestors to piece together cultural conundrums proffered by teasing journalists. Some will even delight at having to track down these cultural references, explains Jonathan Harwell Jr. commenting on the article, just as he's right to say we should "think of retro references not as road blocks but as opportunities for learning."

The timing of Keyes article, however, should not be lost on people, given March saw the publication of his latest book called - of all things - "I love it when you talk retro." I would therefore be inclined to take what Keyes says with a pinch of salt, after all, if spurring debate and publicity is what he was after, he's achieved that much, at least.

* Dude: According to Knowledgerush.com, "Dude" was short for Doodle and first appeared in 1883, referring to dapperly turned out city slickers in the US as in the nineteenth century rhyme "Yankee Doodle." As an 80's child I'm also thinking along the lines of the revival of the term in popular culture, such as in episodes of the Simpsons, where Bart's character exclaims "it's craptacular" to be known as the "dude". The 1989 film "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", in which Ted uses the term ten times in the first 15 minutes alone and more recently, the Coen Brothers 1998 movie "The Big Lebowski" (above, left) featuring Jeff Bridges as the "Dude", also helped bring the expression to wider audiences. Interestingly, the Urban Dictionary claims the term is used by Americans "to address each other. Particularly stoners, surfers and skaters." Although, we suggest individuals exercise prudence when using the term.

Sources: Editor & Publisher , Poynter , Knowledge Rush , Urban Dictionary